Running Wild
by Panic1AtTheHere
Summary: The lives of the ninja, Akita, Skylor and Pixal all flip upside down on one fateful camping trip in the countryside of Ninjago when they happen upon a creature unlike any other they’ve seen. But can they accomplish what she asks of them and save the human and shapeshifter worlds? Previously known as Shifting The Scales Of Balance
1. Shapeshifter

**Hi everyone! This is my new Ninjago fanfic! I now have about five stories running and like three more in planning, not to mention a couple billion rarepairs and other oneshots I'm meant to work on. Oh well, they can wait. This one is more important. **

**I've had this idea for about three or four years now, and only just developed it into a cohesive story for this site. So here it is. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Ninjago or any of its characters, only the plot and any OCs. **

**Enjoy!**

The ninja, accompanied by Pixal, Akita and Skylor, trudge through the realm of Ninjago, their destination unknown at the moment. Sensei Wu had decided that everyone needed to get out more, so he had sent them all packing and out on a group camping trip. Each member of the party has a large backpack stuffed to the brim with stuff for their trip, including sleeping bags, plenty of water, a few snacks, money and spare clothes. They also have a first-aid kit each.

The group walks in silence, none of them wishing to break it. The occasional bird call or plant rustle or some other natural sound will reach their ears, though nothing more. They cross the countryside of Ninjago, rarely snapping photos or videos of each other or the landscape.

On the third day, the ninja and team gape into the distance as huge, towering mountains loom over them, casting most of the ground in shadows. There is a large forest at the bottom, which buzzes with wildlife and their respective sounds. Insects chirp in the fallen leaves and grass. Birds sing and cry from overhead, their nests hiding in the greenery above the ninja and friends. Every here and there, rocks stick out from the ground, and Lloyd finds himself imagining a wolf and its pack howling at a full moon from atop one of them. He is shaken back into reality when Kai waves his hand in front of his face.

"Hey, Lloyd! Ninjago to Lloyd!" The green ninja blinks rapidly and frowns at Kai, who chuckles quietly to himself. Skylor, Jay and Nya also fight to suppress giggles, covering their mouths with their hands though their grins still show in their eyes. Lloyd rolls his emerald eyes and shuffles his backpack further up his shoulder.

"We're nearly at our campsite for the night." Kai addresses the group once more. Everyone silenced themselves and stares at him for a bit. He shifts uncomfortably on his feet, unnerved by all of the sudden attention. "So... yeah. We're just gonna... keep on walking in... this direction. Yeah, this way." Nya, Jay and Skylor once again hold back laughs. Jay bites his lip as he continues walking.

Within an hour, the team reach their camping spot. There is a large clearing of pure green grass in the forest, not too far in, with a thick line of trees surrounding them. The clearing is a near-circle, nature ensuring they are protected. Akita drops her bag and transforms into her white wolf form before sprinting around in circles at the edges of the clearing. Lloyd rolls his eyes and laughs as he watches her run, her three tails flapping around behind her, her tongue dangling from her mouth as she pants. The other ninja discharge their own bags too, leaving them strewn around on the grass. Cole, Zane and Pixal immediately start unpacking and setting up campfires and tents, while Nya, Jay, Kai and Skylor decide to head into the forest to find some firewood and logs. After all, without the logs to sit on and rest against and the fire acting as their source of heat and light, how are they all going to share scary ghost stories at midnight?

Akita soon gives up her aimless running, padding over to her bag and laying beside it, body spread out. Lloyd stands and starts to set up his own tent. He and Cole will share, whil Nya and Jay, Kai and Skylor, Zane and Pixal will do the same. Akita, however, will be on her own. Happy days.

Two hours before sunset, the firewood team returns, their arm laden with sticks and branches as well as dead leaves and other plants. The wood and leaves are piled into a heap in the middle of the clearing, and the soon-to-be campfire is surrounded by stones and pebbles. At sunset, Kai will light the flames. For now though, the team prepare for the night.

The sun sinks towards the horizon, reluctant to give up the sky. The moon fights against its resistance, rising higher into the heavens. Finally, the sun gives in, retreating out of sight, taking the light blue and orange of the sky with it. The colours are immediately replaced by darker shades of blue and some purples, which streak across the sky like spilt paint. The campfire crackles as it burns, thin smoke rising into the air. Akita returns to her human form and sits outside her tent like the others. Kai pulls a torch from his camping backpack and flicks it on, holding it under his face to cast eerie shadows over it.

"It all began on a cold winter night." He begins, all eyes flicking to him again. Silence fills the campsite besides Kai's voice and the snap of twigs as they burn in the fire. "Three friends went off on a camping trip. Two of them had never been before, while the third had been several times, all to different locations. This would be a new experience for all three, since none of them had been camping in this location before. They set up their tents and waited for nightfall." Kai continues to tell of how the friends had started to tell spooky stories to scare each other. Then, at midnight, one of the friends had woken to strange noises outside their tents. She had never heard that kind of noise before - Kai describes it as being a mix between a wolf's howl and a lion's roar, and the clattering of hooves seemed to underlay it. Jay shivers. None of them had ever heard of such a sound. The girl had opened her tent flap curiously to find nothing out of the ordinary, though decided to find the other two. She crept from her tent into the other one. The other two had been dating, so shared a tent. She had moved into theirs only to find one of the two awake and crouching with his hand over his mouth. The girl had taken his gesture into account and attempted to remain silent. That was when they had heard the noise again. A voice spoke to the friends.

'I know where you are. I'm coming for you.' The third friend then came barrelling back into the tent. Her boyfriend threw his arms around her and held her close to his chest, shushing her quietly. The girl seemed to doze off, and her boyfriend laid his head down onto hers. The noises outside had stopped.

Until the girlfriend lashed out at her boyfriend.

"She snapped her head up, and scratched at his eyes with claws that had sprouted out of nowhere!" Kai exclaims, and everyone in the group gasps. Even Akita looks slightly shocked. "She bit at him, tearing his ear apart. The other girl screamed, only for the boyfriend to silence her with his bloody hand. He slapped it against her mouth, though he had been too late. His girlfriend leapt forward, and killed him. The girl stepped back, her mouth still covered from shock. The girlfriend laughed maniacally, before her neck and back seemed to grow fur. Fur of a dark, unnatural shade of blue. A blue so dark it was nearly black. Her eyes became yellow, her pupils reducing to vertical slits. The girl fled the tent, only to be pursued by the monster behind her. A werewolf, that was the only explainstion to her. She threw a final look over her shoulder. Her final movement. The animal took a leap at her, pinning her to the ground. The creature roared, making the sound they had heard mere moments ago. That was when the creature brought its head down, snapping its jaw shut. The girl was no more." Kai finishes, leaving everyone in shock. Jay huddles close to Nya, who holds him tightly. Pixal nearly hides entirely behind Zane, who glares at Kai, clearly mad at him for telling the story. Even Skylor shuffles closer to Kai, while Akita grabs Lloyd's shoulder and pulls herself to his side. He pats her arm gently and she eases slightly.

"It is said," Kai announces, his voice low and deliberate, "that that exact creature still haunts this forest today, waiting for the next group of campers who are foolish enough to wander too close to her territory." Jay yelps quietly and tucks his head into the crook of Nya's neck. She grips him harder, bringing him closer. She joins Zane in staring furiously at Kai.

That's when it rings out over the forest.

The noise.

The noise that sounds like a mix between a wolf's howling towards the full moon and a lion roaring to defend its pride from attackers. Hooves seem to pound through the trees, causing birds and bats to flap away from their perches and to soar up into the midnight sky, shrieking and screaming as they rise upwards, obscuring the moon from sight. Jay screams quietly as he buries his head into Nya's chest. The Master of Water stares into the shadows all around the group, aware of every little noise and movement.

"Kai," she growls threateningly under her breath, "cut it out now. Stop playing that noise on your phone." She fires a look at her brother, who grips his girlfriend tightly, who is shaking like a leaf in his arms. He locks eyes with his sister, and they nod in agreement. The two immediately stand up and usher everyone silently into their own tents. Nya insists that Akita go into someone else's tent until the coast is clear, though she claims defiantly that she can protect herself. Nya bites her lip as the Formling retreats to her white and red tent. Jay grasps her hand so hard that her fingers become numb, so she gently but forcefully takes him back to their tent, bidding goodnight to the rest of the team. Kai and Skylor retreat into the red tent, while Lloyd and Cole step into the black and green one. Zane and Pixal go into the light grey tent, and Nya opens the flap to the blue tent, allowing Jay inside before her. She ties the flap shut.

The next morning, Nya, Zane and Pixal awake at the same time, Lloyd actually sleeping in for once. Zane and Pixal relight the fire from the night before while Nya paces back and forth. Akita soon emerges from her tent, stretching and yawning. They all bid her good morning, and she returns the greeting as Lloyd had taught her upon return to Ninjago from the Never Realm.

A whimper sounds from a nearby shadow just as Kai, Skylor, Cole, Lloyd and Jay leave their tents. Everyone freezes in their tracks, switching their gazes to Akita, who stares intensely into the forest. She shifts and prepares to defend her team. Another whimper, louder than the first, calls out, and Akita's hackles lower themselves again. Her ears prick and her snarl subsides, head cocking to the side. She pads closer to the edge of the forest before leaping headfirst into the shadows. Lloyd gasps and runs forward, determined to stop her, but Kai and Nya grab him and bring him back into camp, saying that Akita will be able to handle whatever is there. Before long, Akita retunes, shaking her wolf head. She shifts again, and says, "Whoever or whatever was there before is now gone. It sounded like a fellow wolf, though I am guessing that this one is a blood-wolf."

"What does that mean?" Jay asks, his anxiety clear in his voice. Akita quickly turns to face him, a regretful look on her face as she reaches out to calm him.

"I do not mean that she hunts for blood nor that she is the colour of it. I merely mean that she is a wolf by blood, not a Formling or an Oni in disguise, since Lloyd told me in the Never Realm they could change their forms." Akita explains. Everyone gets confused looks on their faces.

"How do you know it's a female?" "Why are they called blood-wolves?" "Why would a wolf be near us and howling?" "It isn't howling, it's whimpering!" "Doesn't that mean it's hurt?" Akita and Nya simultaneously raise their hands for silence. The whimper gets louder.

The ninja turn to its direction only to find a glistening wet nose like a dog's emerge from the foliage. Joined to the nose is a long black snout, which connects to a round, furry head. A wolf, as black as the shadows around it, pushes its head into the clearing. Akita approaches it in her own wolf form, slowly stepping forward. The black wolf recoils and snarls. Akita backtracks as the black wolf limps into the clearing. Lloyd and the other ninja share quick glances, all knowing what thoughts are running through each other's minds. Lloyd leaps forward and grabs the wolf, gently putting his arms around its middle. Nya snatches her fist aid kit from her backpack and lunges forward, pulling the bandages from it. Within thirty minutes, the black wolf has its front right leg bandaged tightly. Lloyd nods and lets go of the animal. It rests its weight gently on the leg, recoiling slightly when it still hurts. It looks up at Lloyd with large dark eyes. It then looks to Akita and makes a noise. Akita nods to it and says, "She wishes to thank you for attempting to speed up the healing process of her leg." Lloyd and Nya nod simultaneously and look back at the wolf.

"Wait," Nya speaks up. "Is this the wolf that whimpered a second ago?" Akita nods.

"I believe she is." She replies, shifting to her wolf form. The black wolf crouches in fear, ready to defend itself. However, Akita seems to bow to the other wolf, who reacts in kind. The ninja and friends watch on in confusion and awe. The black wolf sits. Akita becomes human once more.

"She wishes to stay with us, if that is okay?" The other ninja nod immediately. The wolf seems to smile, lifting her head higher and letting her shoulders relax. The ninja and team return the smiles as the black wolf slowly wanders closer to the firepit. She must sense the heat in the logs and rocks even though the flames no longer glow bright amongst them, for she lays down and places her paws gently on top of the one of the pebbles. The ninja and their team sit themselves down on the logs they collected and used as seats and stare at each other for a while. Finally, as conversation starts to evolve back into existence, the black wolf and Akita both raise their heads and stare off into the distance, focusing on something the others can't see. The black wolf growls quietly and Akita signals for silence before she shifts into her white wolf form. The two canines nod to each other and start to creep towards the tree line. The ninja and team stay close behind them until a group of about five or six men leap out behind them. One grabs Nya by the neck while another does the same to Skylor. Both girls kick out silently, their mouths covered by tough hands. The others whirl around and draw their weapons, the two wolves leaping forward, snarling. One of the men tuts, one of the few not holding one of the girls, who now have to be restrained by two or three of the men each due to the violence of their thrashes for freedom. He steps forward toward the group. The black wolf crouches lower with ever step, her warning growls increasing. She looks ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Akita struggles to keep up with her aggression. The man flicks his foot out towards the wolves' faces. Akita flinches while the black wolf snaps her jaws at the thick boot in her face. The man instantly retracts his leg with a yelp.

"Who are you?" Lloyd shouts furiously. "What do you want?"

"Let them go." Jay's voice is low and threatening, dripping with hatred and venom. The man simply laughs at the two boys. The wolves redouble their snarling.

"Who I am has no concern to you." He replies. His voice is low in pitch, with plenty of confidence ringing through it. "As for what we want... all we need is some information from you."

"So why grab the girls?" Jay's grip tightens on his nunchucks as the other men clench their fists, their hands tightening around the girls' necks and wrists. Both flinch, tears starting to form in their eyes.

"There was simply no better way to make a grand entrance." The leading man grins and signals to the others behind him. They instantly drop the girls. Kai and Jay lunges forward to support them. The men sneer and laugh. Lloyd never takes his eyes off the leader. _So he's in charge. _

"What information do you want?" He inquires, eyes narrowing. The ringleader's glare returns, more intense than before.

"There is a rare and very dangerous species in this forest. They are a threat to humanity across Ninjago as we know it. They must all be wiped out. We have been hired by someone of a very high status to ensure that all of them are exterminated as soon as possible. We were intending on going around this area, which is supposedly their territory, and ask anyone we find whether they've seen what any signs of them. There's got to be at least one left around here - people have heard it for miles. Wolves aren't very common around here," the man glares down at Akita and the black wolf, who return the furious stare with just as much hatred, "So we came to ask where you found them and whether you've seen anything you would call suspicious activity that could point us towards this species."

"What species? What signs are there?" Lloyd asks disbelievingly. After all, even if these men really had been hired by someone important, they had no right to go around scaring people and snatching others.

"The signs include animals that aren't supposed to be in the area..." the man starts, glaring down his nose at the black wolf in particular.

"We found her here." Lloyd cuts in. Crap. _Wolves aren't very common around here. _"The white one we've had for a while. We've known her for ages. The black one is new to us. We found both of them here." _Too late. _The man sneers.

"Right..."

Before Lloyd can say anything more, he feels something seem to enter his mind. A large presence, empty of anything but, at the same time, bursting with thoughts and emotions. He feels fury course through his bones, his eyes see the grass around him, and it glows greener than it should. He feels the same blades of emerald between his toes and on his hands and feet. Wait no, his _paws. _He tries to shake his head, to clear his mind, but nothing happens. A voice, feminine by far and unlike any he's ever heard, rings in his ears.

_'When I tell you all to run, do so as fast as you can behind you. Your survival depends on it.' _It says, echoing in the emptiness. Lloyd can feel other presences pressing in on him, and he realises what a hive mind really is even as it is dropped. His eyes return to his own head, and he can no longer see the sun shining on each dew drop in the grass. Mere moments later, he feels one word resonate through his head.

_'Run!' _

Lloyd turns and races off through the forest, everyone else close on his heels. Behind them, the shouts of the men reach their ears.

"She's one of them!" "Get her!"

Akita slows and howls quietly to the others. They stop to face the black wolf. She isn't behind them. In fact, she isn't anywhere.

The wolf has disappeared.

Instead, a magnificent griffin stands in her place, standing on its powerful lion hind legs, scratching out with its eagle talons. It beats its giant black wings in a quick rhythm, lashing out to defend itself. Its beak and black head flick out and back in rapidly, snapping at the men, tearing through their clothes and leaving deep gouges in their flesh. Lloyd cringes at the sight of the blood despite the magic that holds him in place, the same magic that not many people will be able to experience, the magic of seeing a mythical animal standing in front of them, attacking with every weapon nature gave them. The griffin gains scratches and cuts in its wings, sides and legs, which only seem to aggravate it more. Those that survive, which is actually most of the group, minus one or two along the way, retreat into the forest, running and screaming. The griffin lets its body fall back to the ground, its front feathery legs landing heavily on the dirt. The animal pants slightly. Akita cautiously steps forward into the clearing, approaching the beast with fear in her eyes and hesitation in her steps. The griffin tilts its head to look at her before ducking it head again. Then, miraculously, right before their very eyes, the griffin seems to shrink, its wings folding in on themselves, its tail becoming shorter and losing its feathers, fur spreading forwards from its legs and up across its body, front legs and head. The fur also runs down its tail, coating it. Its head sprouts ears, and its beak vanishes, replaces immediately by a long snout.

The griffin is now the black wolf again.

The creature looks back up at the ninja as a voice slams into their heads again.

_'I cannot answer your questions. And you do not need to thank me for saving you. It is my duty.' _The ninja and team are paralysed, all seeing through the wolf's eyes to the grass, which now shines with blood. _'Now, I shall leave you, for I know your kind do not usually fare well with the presence of one like me.' _The black wolf looks over its shoulder once more before dropping the mental communication and slowly walking back towards the treeline.

"Wait." Lloyd hears a voice behind him. Cole. "Please." The wolf stops abruptly, its eyes shining bright. For what seems like the millionth time in his life, Lloyd wonders if animals really _do _cry.

_'Why?' _The wolf asks, for Lloyd is now sure that the strange female voice he hears is emanating from the wolf's mind. Finally, for the first time, he can move while in the wolf's mental connection, and his gaze flacks between Cole and the wolf. Words soon seem to fail the Earth Ninja, and Jay speaks up.

"You saved our lives! Why would we want you to leave?" He asks incredulously. The wolf seems to raise its eyebrows. Do wolves have eyebrows?

_'So what?' _Lloyd's mouth drops.

"What do you mean, 'so what'?!" He practically screams, and the wolf flinches. "Sorry." He adds, before ploughing on again. "I mean, you saved us! That's plenty reason to want you around! Besides, your power is pretty cool! And... I for one feel like that's a favour to return someday." The wolf seems to smile.

_'Thank you. Though I am sure you won't need to save my life any time soon. Though I shall happily stay if you truly do wish for me to.' _Lloyd and his team all nod enthusiastically. The wolf trots up to the group, and Akita pads up to her, seeming to smile herself. _It must be nice, _Lloyd thinks, _for her to finally have another shapeshifter around. She's been alone all this time, I can't imagine what that's got to have been like for her. _The party walk on in silence, the only noises being their backpacks shifting on their backs.

Two hours later, the team arrive at a new place to bed down for the evening. Everyone is tired, and Kai sets up a new fire. The team sit around it quietly, the flames crackling being the only sound for a while. Akita slowly walks up to Lloyd, still in her wolf form, and gently lays her paws across his outstretched legs. She places her head on her paws and closes her eyes as Lloyd runs a hand across her fur between her ears. The team soon curl up around the fire, too comfortable to head into their tents. The sky remains clear, and the half moon shimmers high above. The black wolf lays between Lloyd and Cole, slightly further towards the outer side of the camp. Cole shoots her one final look before drifting off to sleep.

The ninja team awake to a scream the next morning. Everyone immediately draws their weapons, which had been stowed away in case of an attack, and stand poised for battle. Except the black wolf, who has disappeared again. In her place, lays a human being.

The girl is slim, with midnight blue hair which appears black from Nya's point of view across the camp. Her clothing is fully black, with a few thin cuts across her back and legs. She raises her head and her eyes widen as she realises that every pair of eyes in the camp rests on her. Her skin is tanned, her eyes dark brown and deep. Her hair covers he majority of her face, though her shock and fear are evident. Rapidly, her form switches, pointed ears sprouting from her head while a bushy tail extends from the bottom of her back. She pushes herself onto all fours as her body changes, black fur covering every inch. The black wolf stares at the team, who exchange glances.

_'I can explain.' _

**So this is a kinda parallel universe to Different, which is a new story I released a few days ago. From now on, I will always put recaps at the beginning of the chapters for this story and that story, hopefully preventing any confusion, since the plots _may _be slightly similar in places while being starkly different in others. Oh well. **

**If anyone has any questions or notes for this story, please feel free to leave it in the reviews and I'll get back to you on it. Also, I'm writing rarepair one-shots for a collection, so if you have an idea for one for Steamshipping (Kai x Nya), please let me know ASAP. That one will be the first one released, so I am literally _begging _for one. **

**Thanks for reading! See you all soon!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	2. TheGame

**Hiya, I'm back again! And I'm actually writing this chapter at a normal time of day for the UK, not twenty past one in the morning! Maybe miracles are real...**

**Anyway, welcome back to Running Wild!**

**Before we begin, I just wanted to apologise once again for the change in names. This story used to be called Shifting the Scales of Balance, with the other story being called Different, but then I realised I had the plots wrong, so now this story has been called Running Wild while the other one is now called Shifting the Scales of Balance. So I am sorry once again. **

**To avoid any more confusion, here is a quick recap:**

**Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, Nya, Akita, Skylor and Pixal all went on a camping trip together around Ninjago. While there, they encountered a black wolf with an injured leg. The helped the wolf and she asked Akita to be able to stay with the team. The entire team agreed and the wolf stayed. **

**Then a group of hunters came out of nowhere and grabbed Nya and Skylor from behind, drawing all attention. The leader had a conversation with Lloyd about some rare and dangerous species that needed to be wiped out, and Lloyd quickly tried to defend both wolves (Akita and the black wolf) but another consciousness entered his head and gave all of them instructions. The consciousness told them all to run, so they did, only to find that the black wolf was no longer behind them. **

**Instead, there was a large black griffin. **

**The griffin scared off the humans, and slowly turned into the black wolf again. It then tried to leave, but the team stopped it, and the wolf stayed. **

**The next morning, everyone awoke to screaming, as Cole had woken up to find another human where the black wolf had been the night before. If you would like another description of her, I'm afraid you will have to look back at the previous chapter, because it is now time to start this one!**

**So, now that that's out of the way, let's begin chapter two of Running Wild!**

**Quick note! There are some made-up words in this chapter, so here is a pronunciation guide. There will be another one of these at the bottom of the chapter. **

**Monólyn - moh-NOH-lihn**

**Monóliné -moh-NOH-lih-neh**

Lloyd paces around the clearing, Akita padding along beside him. The black wolf sits at one edge of the circle, ears bent down slightly, presumably in shame. Cole, Zane, Pixal, Nya and Jay perch on or lean against a few of the logs surrounding the empty fire pit, their eyes flitting between Lloyd and the black wolf. Kai and Skylor stand behind one of the logs in silence, occasionally shooting each other glances. Skylor bites her lip as her eyes return to Lloyd and Akita. The Green Ninja turns and stares at the black wolf accusingly.

"First Akita," he growls, "then you. What is it with Formlings not telling us that they're humans too?!" Akita bites her lip as well and ducks her head slightly, a light blush creeping onto her cheeks. She still wishes that she hadn't lied to Lloyd. He soon rounds on her. "And why didn't you tell us that you can mentally communicate?!" He exclaims, oblivious to the obvious look of shock and confusion on her face.

"I... I can't..." She replies, her eyebrows knitted together.

_"And I am not what you called a Formling." _The now slightly familiar voice of the black wolf rings in their minds, and all eyes immediately flick to her.

"So... what are you?" Jay asks nervously, gripping Nya's arm tightly. "If you don't mind me asking, that is! I mean, you say you're not a Formling, and you're clearly not human, so what could you possibly be?"

The black wolf shakes her head slowly, a huffed sigh escaping her lips. _"There are many names for us, though as far as I know, 'Formlings' is not one of them. They do, however, include Animagi, werewolves, werecats, or whatever animal one may become, a few have been called vampires, but we are most known as shapeshifters. However, there are differences between each name's meaning and origin. For example, a werecat is one who can only become a cat-human hybrid. A werewolf is one who can only become a wolf-human hybrid. This is because of the combination of the words 'were' meaning man and, in the second example, 'wolf'. Werewolf, man-wolf. An Animagus is one who can become an animal such as a dog, a deer, a rat, a beetle, etc, but they can only become one animal, like the werewolves and werecats. Vampires can change between bats and humans, nothing more. Shapeshifter is a much more diverse name, and can be given to any creature with the ablitly to change its form. However, the real name for us in our native language is Monólyn, or Monóliné for a singular one of us." _

Everyone exchanges glances with each other, refusing to spare the black wolf a single one. Until she flinches and whimpers.

Akita immediately flicks her head towards her, concern flashing in her dark eyes, even as the black wolf lays her head on the grass and wipes her paws over her ears, flattening them further.

_"Please, try and keep all your thoughts in line while mentally communicating, you'll give me a headache within seconds!" _

Confused, Lloyd speaks up. "Sorry, none of us realised that our thoughts in turmoil would cause you pain or distress..."

_"It is fine, but remember that everything you think, if you think it correctly, will enter my mind though the mental link used in the communication, and I will hear it." _

A slight ripple of fear seems to echo in the group, passing through the concerned looks the ninja and their team shoot towards each other.

"What do you mean, if we think it correctly?" Lloyd asks hesitantly, his voice threatening to break, which would add insult to injury. Somehow, it finds a way to stay stable.

_"There are two different kinds of thoughts. Ones the mind wants to share, and ones the mind wants to keep to itself. Most thoughts, whether they are subconscious or not, are the latter. However, if you are in a mental communication link with a shapeshifter and have a thought of the first category, that thought will be transmitted trough that link. A private thought will, on the other hand, not be passed through the mental link during conversation." _A collective matter of realisation flitters through the group as the black wolf stands and begins to pace back and forth. _"Now, what do we plan to do with the rest of the day? We waste time sitting here to discuss my abilities, when we could easily complete a task doing the same thing. Besides, I am growing tired of this topic of conversation, and I have been told that I am no fun to be around when I am bored. So, what is our plan?" _

The group share another glance, much to the wolf's annoyance. She growls slightly, a low ripple of noise tearing through the silence of the camp.

"I don't think we actually had any plans for today..." Lloyd replies, and the wolf lifts her head, eyes wide.

_"Really? Well then, surely we must find something to do for today, since we have the entire day at our disposal. There will be about ten more hours of sunlight before dusk, so we could theoretically complete a number of tasks. Or, if you have no necessary things to do, we could get to know each other better. I have spent many years among your kind, and I know how these camp games normally work." _Everyone's eyes flick to the wolf, eyes wide or with one eyebrow raised. _"You all seem intrigued. Very well then. Do any of you have any bags of candy or anything? This game works best with one of those." _Jay and Lloyd immediately blush slightly and retreat into their tents, mumbling about how heir midnight feast was ruined before it could even begin, gaining chuckles and eye-rolls from the other members of the camp. Both boys emerge minutes later, clutching bags that look fit to burst. The black wolf's eyes lighten, and she seems to grin.

Hesitantly, she pushes herself up onto her hind legs. The humans, Formling and nindroids look on in confusion as her fur ripples and loses its shadowy colour, becoming a midnight blue. Her fur changes its substance, it's length increasing around her head while it retreats over the rest of her body. In its place appear dark blue jeans and a plain shirt of a similar shade. The long sleeves extend down her arms even as blue trainers appear on her feet. Her skin becomes the dark shade it had been that morning when Cole had accidentally discovered her in her human form. As it did before, her midnight hair covers half of her face, though this time it isn't with natural curls. Instead of the waves, short side-swept bangs cover her right eye and Nya seems to eye them with envy even as she crosses her legs and reaches out her hands for the bags of candy, which Jay and Lloyd reluctantly hand over, lost for words. Cole's jaw drops and Kai stares with wide eyes. The girl gestures for the rest of the group to arrange themselves in a circle and everyone obliges, mentally agreeing not to get on the shapeshifter's bad side.

"How this game works," she announces with an odd accent that no one recognises, "is that the bag of candy gets passed around each turn. Every time the bag comes to you, you take a piece of candy and state your name before telling everyone a random fact about you. This continues until the bag is empty or people get bored." With that, she reaches into the first bag and plucks out a bright orange sweet. "My name is Luna, and I am a shapeshifter from a forest near here. I am said to be the most advanced female left." She passes the bag to her left before popping the candy in her mouth. Nya carefully takes the bag from her and pulls out a blue sweet similar to Luna's.

"I'm Nya, and I'm allergic to kiwi." She says before passing the bag to Jay.

Even the ninja team find out new things about each other through Luna's game, including the facts that Lloyd is afraid of heights, Jay's favourite time of day is three P.M. for some reason, Kai still has his first stuffed toy hidden away somewhere (but no one could get him to spill where he had hidden it), Cole's favourite song is, to everyone's surprise, the Cupid Shuffle, Skylor has broken her wrist more times than she can remember, Pixal physically can not perform a perfect front flip without assistance, Akita has never heard of grapes, and Zane once made enough soup to feed the entirety of the team for two months.

By sundown, the two bags of candy are empty and the circle continue to share random facts about themselves even without the candy. Luna smiles and leans back slightly, propping herself up on her elbows as she raises her head upwards to look at the stars above. The moon shines bright in the dark sky, casting shadows through the trees. Kai soon steps forward and ignites the fire pit, starting a crackling fire to provide the warmth and light needed to survive in the wilderness. Hours of jokes and facts pass in seemingly seconds, but the team soon retreat to their tents, bidding each other farewell. Akita hangs around outside her tent before clearing her throat.

"You can stay in my tent with me tonight if you wish, Luna."

The shapeshifter raises her head again from where she had rested it on the grass and smiles gently.

"Thank you, but I would prefer to stay out here." Akita nods and hides in her tent, sealing the flap behind her. Luna smiles and shifts back into her black wolf form before curling up around herself and drifting off to sleep.

**I know this chapter may be a bit shorter than the previous one, and I'm sorry for that. But this is all for now, until the next update. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter, and I am really sorry for the massive wait. I am trying to get these chapters out, but I am also trying to get into a more healthy sleep schedule, so these may only be released on weekend and holidays, and since Christmas break is nearly here, these should be getting out a bit more within the next two weeks. **

**For now, however, this is it. **

**See you all soon!**

**-LunaPikazard**


	3. Himati Tíra

**Okay, okay, I just realised I haven't updated this story since before Christmas, and I just want to apologise for that before I start this new chapter. I am very sorry for my massive hiatus, but I have mentioned multiple reasons in my other stories and on my profile, so I do have a bit of an excuse. Anyway, I am back now, I'm here, I'm queer, I live in existential fear, and I'm writing again.**

**Also, I just released a new chapter for Shifting The Scales Of Balance, so if you're into that story, go check that out. But yeah, if this chapter is worse quality than my usual writing, it's because I've already published tonight and it's already past midnight and I'm just starting a new chapter. **

**Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you at the end!**

**Yay, more made-up words from a fictional language in this chapter! Here is another pronounciation guide. **

**Pronunciation guide:**

**Himati Tíra, mi kulala uno kara mura (pronounced Him-AH-tih TIH-rah, mi KOO-lah-lah OOH-noh kah-RAH MOO-rah) - Mother Tíra (literally, Sun), watch over us on this day (prayer to the sun deity/Tíra)**

The sun rises in the east as usual, its warm golden rays spreading out over the landscape and bathing the ground in heat and light.

Luna's dark eye cracks open and her gaze flies upwards, and her bushy tail flicks once behind her as fascination sparks in her chest. No matter how many times she watches her sister's work, it still amazes her...

The sound of a zipper jogs her from her thoughts, and she uncurls her body, lifting her head to see Akita, the Formling, poking her head out from inside her white and red tent. She smiles at Luna, who returns the gesture the best she can with her wolf face. Akita gets the message and steps closer, her feet falling silently onto the grass. She sits down beside the black wolf and raises her head to the sky, her eyes wide as she watches the sun's light spread out and the heavens lighten. Luna lets her attempted smile fall though she can still feel the same joy burning in her chest.

"How are you?" Akita speaks, her voice hushed so as not to wake any of the ninja team from their slumber, and Luna shifts her gaze towards the girl.

'_Adequate, I suppose. How are you? Did you sleep well?' _Akita barely moves her gaze, her eyes still fixed on the lightening sky above.

"I feel well, and I slept good enough. I am glad that you feel okay. How did you sleep?" Akita lets her gaze finally fall from the sky, and it settles on the small wolf to her right.

_'I slept as well as can be expected, I suppose.' _Akita nods slowly as Luna replies, before sighing quietly to herself. Without a noise, Luna pushes herself to all four paws and lets herself shift into her human form. This time, however, instead of her previous outfit of dark blue, she is dressed in all black.

A long-sleeved black shirt covers her top half while her legs are in tight, black jeans with small rips at the knees, patches of her tanned skin showing through the frayed strings. Akita watches her from the sides of her eyes.

Luna swings her legs in front of her and reaches forward to tie the shoelaces of a pair of high-topped Converse. She then moves her legs behind her body, closes her eyes and tilts her head up towards the sun.

_"Himati Tíra, mi kulala uno kara mura." _Luna mutters the prayer under her breath before breathing in slowly. Akita's voice breaks through the silence, however.

"What was that?" She asks, and the shapeshifter opens her eyes to see the Formling fixing her with a confused look.

"What was what?" She replies, feigning blissful ignorance. The Formling, however, doesn't give up.

"I heard you say something a minute ago, something in another language. I'm assuming it's your native tongue, since you said last night that your kind speak another language to us."

Sighing, Luna nods. "Yes, we speak another language to you and the humans." She jerks her head back towards the other tents, and Akita nods sharply. "And what I said was a daily prayer to our sun deity, a plea to watch over us today, should we need Her assistance to get us through the sunlit hours. After dusk, we pray to another, the moon deity, who shares my name. My sister, Tíra, is named after the sun deity." Akita's eyes are wide open, and she nods in a slightly dumbfounded manner. Luna simply chuckles to herself and closes her eyes again, her head raised to the clouds above once more.

A few hours after the sunrise, the ninja, along with Skylor and Pixal, emerge from their tents, some still yawning and running their fingers through their hair, others wide awake and grinning.

"Good morning Akita, Luna." Nya smiles as she approaches them, and the two shapeshifters smile in unison to the girl. Nya sits beside them and raises her eyes to the top of the nearest tree, and a sparkle dances within the depths of her dark brown irises.

"Hey, Luna, how good are you at climbing trees? In any form." She asks, the gleam bright in her eyes as she turns her head to face the monóliné, who raises an eyebrow.

"Are you challenging me, Nya?"

"What if I am?"

**Okay, I know this is short, but I quite like it, and at least I'm publishing again... I guess...**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, don't be afraid to leave a review on your way out if you want. Whether you want to ask a question, give some advice or drop some constructive criticism. I am very thankful for all of your reviews and DMs, no matter what story they're for. Speaking of DMs, I am taking writing requests, so if you have any, or simply want a chat, or anything else, let me know and I'll be happy to talk to you. I always love hearing from people who read and enjoy my writing. **

**Anyway, I hope to see you all soon. **

**Stay healthy, stay home, stay safe, stay alive. **

**-Panic1AtTheEverywhere**


	4. Journey

**Hi everyone, I'm back again with another chapter!**

**Honestly I'm actually really happy to be updating this again, it's been so long. **

**Y'all ready for this?**

**Anyway let's just... go. **

The rest of the team laugh among themselves as Nya flops down on her back onto the grassy floor of the forest, panting heavily. Even Luna chuckles under her breath as she sits, cross-legged, next to the tired ninja.

"How-" Nya gasps and Luna cuts her off with a wave of her hand, a small smile on her lips.

"Simple. Evolution. We have a lot of skills that many animals have through evolution and breeding. It's just science. I mean, fast running, climbing, breathing underwater, things like that." Nya sighs and drops her head back into the grass again, her eyes closing. Her ragged breaths are covered by a few remaining snickers. Luna's laughing is cut short when she lifts her head up high, eyes wide, hand raised slightly to silence the ninja and their team. The other teens soon dissolve into a hush, only their breathing and faint heartbeats reach the shapeshifter's ears. She stares intently into the trees for a few seconds, her eyes narrow, before she jumps to her feet in one fluid, shockingly silent, movement. The ninja and crew watch on in awe as she creeps toward the tree line, her sight ripping through the shadows. Within seconds, she recoils sharply. Just as she does, a large, black shape bursts out from the bushes, four paws landing harshly on the grass for a split-second before the creature takes off into the sky, its powerful legs propelling it high over the heads of the teenagers. A voice soon echoes in the minds of the group, a voice that none of them recognise. Luna's cheeks gain a light dusting of pink at the voice, and she ducks her head a bit. The voice speaks in what seems to be the shapeshifters' language, passing over the heads of the humans, Formling, and nindroids.

"We must leave." Luna's voice cuts through the stunned silence as she steps back towards the campsite and snatches a bag of something from the ground. One of the ninja yelp and before they know it, the team have packed up, Cole has reclaimed his bag that Luna had grabbed, and they're on the move. Luna and Akita, both in their wolf forms, lead the group, the latter's ears pricked and her steps cautious. Luna, on the other hand, had a confident spring in her step, her paws landing softly in the grass as she trots forward. Occasionally she'll stop to sniff the air or the ground, but then she quickly returns to her original pace.

After a few hours, the sun is high in the sky, beating down on the group. Akita pants lightly while the ninja, minus Zane, and Skylor breathe heavily, a few of them shifting their bags on their backs. Luna's ears swivel backwards towards the group, while Zane and Pixal continue to walk, oblivious to the struggle of the humans and Formling. Luna growls quietly, a short ripple of sound leaving her lips. She raises her head to the sky, watching the clouds for a few seconds, before reaching out with her mind.

_'We should stop here until the sun lowers again, or this heat could tire us all out before we get there.' _Many of the team nod breathlessly, while Zane and Pixal shrug and dump their bags down where they stand. Akita pretty much collapses on the cool, grassy ground and pants while the team put their bags down in a cluster. She soon pushes herself back up and steps toward Luna, who sits proudly on the outskirts of their new campsite, staring intently into the woods in front of her. She glances towards the white wolf and nods her head once in acknowledgement before lifting her gaze once again to the sky above.

_'We must continue our journey as soon as possible, so I recommend you all rest up for a while.' _Luna's voice once again rings in the minds of the ninja and their team, and Jay sighs as he flops backwards in the shaded grass.

The surrounding trees shroud the area in shadows, even in the current blazing sunlight, so most of the team members hide out in the darkness, cooling off and breathing heavily. Akita curls up next to Lloyd and closes her eyes while Luna swishes her tail back and forth before leaping upward into a large oak tree near the site. Nya watches on with jealousy of the wolf's abilities while Skylor pays more attention to the shapeshifter's footing and balance. Within seconds, the monóliné has lied down on a thick branch of the tree, her paws crossed under her head and her eyes closed. Her breathing remains slow and calm.

Three hours have passed before Akita and Jay wake from their naps, the others already fully recovered. Luna's eyes crack open and she drops into the grass in a soft, fluid movement, her tail flipping from side to side as her eyes survey each of the people before her. She nods sharply and trots to the edge of the temporary campsite, her body becoming stiff, ears pricked, eyes focused on one shadowy point far off in the woods. A low growl escapes her, and a snarl gets spat out in return. Luna soon stops growling, though the ninja and their team only become more alert, following Luna's gaze and watching the area closely for signs of movement.

After about five minutes, a twig snaps and Luna's eyes drift away from their fixed point, still remaining in the forest for an extra moment before facing the ninja team once more. She swings her head over her shoulder impatiently and the team grab their bags and set off again, falling into line behind the black wolf, whose yellow, glowing eyes soon become the main light in the increasingly dark woods.

**Hi everyone, that's chapter 4 done! I know this is quite short and kinda just filler but we are getting to the mains story now, so hang in there. **

**Anyway, as always I am taking commissions and whatnot, so if you have a story you want me to write, preferably a oneshot though I can do full stories, just leave some details in the comments or DM me and I'll see what I can do. **

**Again, I am just trying to ease myself back into writing but since school has started up again and I'm starting to revise shit for tests (yes we already have tests, I hate my school) and learn GCSE material to a decent standard, I probably won't be able to post much on Monday to Friday. However, I will try harder to get more updates out over weekends. Including this one. **

**So anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this and the rest of this story and again, if you have any ideas or requests, let me know and I'll see what I can do. **

**Thank you all for reading and I'll see you all very soon. **

**Stay safe, stay alive**

**Bye**

**-PanicAtTheHere**


	5. Xero

**Hi everyone, I have returned!**

**Again.**

**So it's half term here in the uk, with Halloween quickly approaching and honestly I am so mad that I can't basically cosplay a member of the Black Parade and walk around the street with fake blood on my face and scare the shit out of passing kids and parents but heyho life moves on I guess. **

**Well at least I know what my plans are for next year-**

**That's not what y'all are here for though so let's just dive right into the story again. **

**Damn I really took until halfway through the week off to write the next upload again? **

**HOW IS IT ALREADY NOVEMBER IT WAS ONLY THE 20TH OCTOBER YESTERDAY I SWEAR!**

**Pronunciation guide**

**Haful (fire) - HA-fool**

The group follow the black wolf in the increasingly dark woods the best they can, their eyes slowly adjusting to the shadows. The soft sound of Luna's paws landing in the grass below soon stops, and her bright yellow eyes appear over her shoulder, fixing Kai and Skylor with a neutral look before her voice echoes in their heads.

"_You two have the ability to control haful_, _do you not?"_

Skylor raises an eyebrow in confusion before Luna's head shakes in the darkness.

_"I mean fire."_

Kai's eyes suddenly spark and he slaps his forehead before setting his right hand ablaze. Skylor soon copies him and together they step to the front of the group, lighting their way at a brightness that the humans in the team could actually see.

The group continue in near silence, only the sounds of their feet, breathing and hearts beating audible in the woods. Jay glances around nervously - the forest is too quiet for his liking.

Zane whispers something to Pixal, who nods and hums quietly in agreement, drawing all eyes to them apart from Luna's, the shapeshifter's focus not moving from directly in front of her.

After a few more minutes, Luna stops still, her tail whipping back and forth once as a signal to halt. The team slows, all eyes on the wolf. Her eyes flicking around in the shadows, Luna casts her head over her right shoulder to fix the group with a firm, piercing stare. Lloyd shifts on his feet, uncomfortable under the animal's eyes, an acceptable response in Zane's opinion - while there are few recorded cases of shapeshifters actively attacking humans without provocation, they have been portrayed as having little to no mercy towards their foes. Any sensible living thing would quiver before a shapeshifter.

_"We are almost there, but I must warn you - many of our kind will not take too kindly to your human forms due to our... eventful past with your kind. Take caution when you show your faces." _

Her warning complete, Luna steps forward again and disappears into the darkness. In blind fear, Lloyd quickly follows, desperate to find the wolf to guide them. He, too, vanishes in the shadows. A single, short growl bursts from Akita's jaws as she launches forward, following suit. No sound can be heard from any of the three after that.

Swallowing their fears, the rest of the ninja take one further step.

There is a loud, collective gasp as sight returns to the humans' eyes.

The darkness has let up to create a large, bright circular clearing among the trees, their gentle shadows covering the green grass beneath their feet. Littered among the trees, small hills and dips, all around the team, animals can be heard - birds call from in the trees, squirrels and other mammals of the forest chatter as they run and play, and a few unrecognisable sounds echo through the forest. Luna appears in their view, next to the paralysed Akita and Lloyd, her eyes shooting around as if she is looking for someone. She starts pacing, her head swivelling when a loud whoosh can be heard. Her ears perk up and she lets a small howl escape her, a familiar shape passing overhead.

The ninja team duck as a large mammalian creature soars over them, four paws coming down to land upon the ground. The beast folds its giant wings, its tail swishing once before it turns.

The winged wolf is majestic and unlike any animal the ninja have seen before, even the dragons, apart from its unnatural colours. While its body is mostly a dark grey, it has a cyan chest which leads down to its underside. Its front legs have small cyan stripes around the outsides, the end of its tail the same shade. Under its eyes are small cyan triangles, leading down to two small cyan stripes on each cheek. It has a single line between its eyes, striped cyan and black irises large, and one thick cyan line leads down its muzzle to its large, black nose. The insides of its ears, instead of being a light pink or white or any other colour of wolf, we're also a similar shade of blue. One toe on both back paws are also cyan. Even the fur on its elbow areas are cyan. Overall, it is one odd-looking wolf.

Not to mention the large, dark grey wings on its back.

The animal's mouth hangs open slightly, baring teeth of a bright, shining white and a scarlet tongue. Luna's tail flips a few times as she pads up to the winged animal, their snouts bumping in greeting. She returns the expression, almost smiling at each other. The creature's gaze then shifts, it's large eyes landing on the humans.

Almost immediately, its expression changes, its upper lip curling in a loud, rippling, ferocious snarl. It launches itself over Luna's dark form, separating her from the ninja. Akita jumps in front of it, her tails swinging from the movement. The beast's eyes widen for a split second, as if wondering why its own kind might defend a group of humans, before it growls again, not recognising Akita.

Luna snarls loudly, drawing the attention of everyone but the large winged animal. When she fails to get it to notice her, she blocks the Formling from the shapeshifter's view, only causing it to bare its teeth more.

_"You bring humans to the Pack?!" _A loud, alien voice rings in the ears of the ninja, and the winged beast looks ready to pounce. _"You betray us?!"_

_"Nay, I bring with m_e_ the saviours of our world!" _Luna's voice echoes soon after, her own snarl making the larger animal step back.

With one final growl, Luna takes a step forward, holding her head high, eyes fixed firmly on the other wolf.

_"Stand down, Xero."_

**Okay folks, that's all for now!**

**So, you've now met Xero. You're gonna want to get used to him, he's gonna be around a lot. Just a warning. **

**Sorry I took so long getting this update out, I'm gonna try to update some more before Christmas. I've stopped updating one of my stories and another has been put onto a less frequent upload schedule, so I'm trying to reduce my workload on top of my schoolwork, so hopefully I'll have some more out soon. **

**Also, no, I am not a furry **

**See you all soon!**

**Don't be afraid to leave comments in the reviews, as normal, but if you're gonna be rude or negative, you can expect some sass thrown back your way because I'm not here to deal with people's shit. **

**So for now, I'm out**

**See ya!**

**-PanicAtTheHere**


End file.
